Live bull spotted running loose around streets of Birmingham
Video footage shared online on Friday morning showed a large bull charging around streets in east Birmingham, with police officers running alongside in a bid to contain it. The large black bull with white horns could be seen galloping past cars on a road near a roundabout, and running along pedestrianised streets.
It is unclear where the bull came from, or why it was running loose.
West Midlands police said in a statement: 'We were made aware of a bull in the road near New Bond Street in Birmingham at just before 9.30am today. We're liaising with Birmingham city council and other agencies to ensure the animal is taken to a safe location.'
They later confirmed that the bull was no longer on the loose.
Birmingham is frequently associated with bulls, with its main shopping centre named the Bullring and guarded by a large bronze bull statue at its entrance.
In the city's New Street railway station a 10-metre mechanical bull built for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony sits on the central concourse. It was named Ozzy in a public vote – after the rock star Ozzy Osbourne who originates from the city.
Sign up to First Edition
Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters
after newsletter promotion
The association stems from bull baiting, which took place in the area around the Bullring centre in the 16th century.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
BBC investigates alleged cocaine use by two Strictly Come Dancing stars
The BBC has launched an investigation into alleged cocaine use by two stars of Strictly Come Dancing. The Sun on Sunday reported that the two stars' alleged drug use was 'talked about widely among the cast' of the BBC One primetime show. The newspaper also claimed that others had reported allegations of drug taking on the show to the BBC. The cast members involved in the investigation were not named by the newspaper. According to the Sun on Sunday, the allegations were made in a legal submission by the law firm Russells in March on behalf of a former contestant, the Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans. A BBC spokesperson said: 'We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us. We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further.' The newspaper said the BBC had appointed a law firm to lead the investigation. It is understood that the corporation often appoints external law firms to help lead investigations and report back to an internal team. Evans, who was a celebrity dancer in last year's series, was dropped by the BBC for using 'inappropriate language' during the launch of the Strictly tour. He apologised for language that he called 'inappropriate and unacceptable' after the Mail on Sunday reported that he was heard making a remark to a woman in a video filmed during the Strictly launch event. The singer announced in May that he was leaving his BBC Radio Wales show after the BBC decided not to renew his contract. This latest investigation comes after the BBC launched a review into Strictly in 2024 that looked into allegations of bullying and harassment against the former professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, made by his former dance partner Amanda Abbington. The corporation upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made. In June last year, the BBC confirmed Pernice's departure from the show. Another Strictly professional dancer, Graziano Di Prima, also left the show last year after allegations about his conduct with a past participant of the show. The BBC announced a series of new measures in July 2024 aimed at improving welfare on the show. These include the introduction of chaperones who are present at all times during training room rehearsals, two new welfare producers, and providing additional training for the professional dancers, production team and crew. In June, the EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick was suspended by the BBC after a video emerged of the actor using an ableist slur during Strictly rehearsals in November. Borthwick apologised and a BBC spokesperson said at the time: 'This language is entirely unacceptable and in no way reflects the values or standards we hold and expect at the BBC. We have robust processes in place for this.'
The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
Nish Kumar looks back: ‘My parents had to bribe me with Crunchies and Batman pens to stay in school'
Born in 1985 in Tooting, London, Nish Kumar is a comic and presenter. He started standup while at Durham University and has twice been nominated for best show at the Edinburgh comedy awards. He fronted topical comedy news series The Mash Report and co-hosts political podcast Pod Save the UK with the journalist Coco Khan. He takes his show to the Edinburgh festival fringe this month. This picture was taken at our house in Croydon, and I'm sitting opposite a ThunderCats book. At five, the central pillars of my life were ThunderCats and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was obsessive about the things I loved and I didn't have a good distinction between reality and fantasy. During one intense period of SuperTed fandom, I even called my mum Spotty. The hair is quite telling in this photo. My parents have clearly tried to comb my curls into a neat side parting, but a few minutes later it would have sprung back up again. This totally encapsulates my childhood: everything about me was unruly. My dad is an ordered man and had no idea how he birthed such a child. On more than one occasion he has said, 'If you didn't look so much like me, I'd have assumed your mother was having an affair.' As a strange, loudmouth, slightly geeky child who loved to read, I was precocious in all the wrong ways. After my first day at school, Mum said, 'How was it?' I replied, 'Yeah, it's pretty good. I don't think I'll be going back. An interesting experience but not my thing.' They had to bribe me to keep going. Crunchie bars, Batman pens, whatever it took to get me through the gates. I found it hard to make friends, mostly as I was really young in my school year, but also because I was a dweeb, happy in his own world. As a teenager, I was a real piece of shit. Half my teachers found me deeply irritating; the other half encouraged my 'audible engagements' with their attempts to educate me. One even told my parents I was going to be the first non-white prime minister. I have no idea what that was based on, but my parents took it as a solemn promise. When I turned out to be a comedian, they were like, 'Well, this product has not met its guarantee.' As I got older, I worked out that making other people laugh was a way I could connect and ingratiate myself into wider society. At university I joined the Durham Revue, which is where I met Ed Gamble and Tom Neenan. They were enterprising people and decided they were going to set up their own comedy night. They hired the upstairs of a local bar and, without asking, signed me up for one of the first shows. I was awful for the first five years of standup, but slowly the momentum built. It's only because I met that group of people and had the space and time to experiment at university that I now have this job. There were many years where I had to balance being a terrible temp worker, doing data entry and photocopying for the Central Office of Information, with gigging. But by September 2013 things were going well and I could leave office work behind. By the time I got on TV, I was 30 and felt well-adjusted enough for the ruthlessness of the industry. I did Have I Got News for You and Live at the Apollo, and even though some people would get wound up by my political jokes, I was prepared to face criticism for my comedy and prided myself on my resilience. But nothing could have prepared me for the ferocity of the feedback when The Mash Report came out. That inbuilt resilience took me up to about 2019, when I started getting death threats. Then it evaporated. It was then that my friend Brett Goldstein and my partner Amy [Annette] told me to see a therapist. I'm not sure what they noticed in my character to suggest it's what I needed, but it was possible I had stopped being able to manage my emotions. I was reluctant at first – I thought I could withstand anything and that needing therapy because my dream job was stressful would be indulgent. But I was wrong. Because as well as being incredibly arrogant, I have generalised anxiety, and that period of my life was the most relentless buildup of pressure. The media coverage, in retrospect, was beyond hysterical. The show became a kind of proxy battle about the BBC and political balance. Some people said, 'Nish Kumar is a threat, and the BBC has to get rid of him' and others said, 'No one's watching this show.' I kept thinking, 'Both of these things can't be true.' On top of that, there were newspaper columnists who did not believe that someone of my skin colour should be able to have an opinion on the operation of the British government, and that any criticism I expressed was a form of ingratitude. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion When I was a kid, my parents – like the parents of most ethnic minority kids – would constantly tell me, 'You need to keep your head down. Stay safe, get a proper job.' I thought it was because they lacked imagination, but my mum arrived in England in 1973, when the National Front were on the streets. It wasn't that my parents didn't 'get me' and my creative ambitions – they just wanted me to be a lawyer or doctor because it's harder for them to kick you out of the country when that time inevitably comes. One of the best things my therapist has said is, 'People who are children of immigrants have to realise their parents are both paranoid and correct.' I grew up surrounded by a level of anxiety that was disproportionate but not unfounded, and coming to terms with that has really been the lesson for me. That's not to say I regret doing the job I've done or making the jokes I've made, but maybe I was naive about how personal the response to me on TV would be. Now I'm in a much better place: I did a treatment programme for post-traumatic stress disorder because my brain had internalised the death threats, and my support system includes a mental health professional. It also helps that I have so many good people around me. From being a kid who struggled to make friends, I now realise how fortunate I am to be surrounded by my partner and a peer group in comedy that really have each other's backs. We all came up at a time when there were lots of opportunities, and instead of trying to destroy each other on panel shows, we were supportive. Not because we are especially virtuous people, but because we were very sociable, and if you were a dick to a comedian on Mock the Week on Wednesday, it would make X person's birthday drinks pretty fucking awkward on Friday. Sometimes, on bad days, I feel as if I have let my younger self down. Like I've fallen short of my ambitions for the type of person I wanted to be. Then, on better days, I think, 'All I wanted to do was get inside the TV, and I've done that.' Because, deep down, I am still that obsessive, strange, loudmouth geek. All that's different, really, is the beard and grey hairs.
BBC News
a few seconds ago
- BBC News
Ludlow town crier told no council money for costume
A town crier has been told he will not get help from the council to pay for his Mullett is regularly seen in Ludlow, Shropshire, appearing weekly at Ludlow of a full meeting of Ludlow Town Council, he had asked for sponsorship to support the expense of specialist clothing and towards hosting a town crier competition in the authority previously agreed it would not cover any of Mr Mullett's expenses, that it would only fund activities within the parish of Ludlow and councillors said at the meeting that any change over funding him would cost a "lot of money". Mr Mullett has been approached for a voluntary role has seen him support events such as the Ludlow Rotary Duck Race and the 25th anniversary of the Local to Ludlow produce 12 July, he represented the town at the South of England Town Criers Championship in Wareham, Dorset. "When we originally had the town crier come to full council to make a decision, we were told it wouldn't cost the council anything to have the town crier wear a uniform," said Ludlow councillor Darren Childs."This is sponsorship not costs, but it doesn't really go into detail about what [the sponsorship] it is and how it's going to be spent."Councillor Glenn Ginger added: "This isn't what the town crier was engaged for and is against everything that was agreed."Councillor Viv Parry warned that it would cost the town council "an awful lot of money" if it went ahead with the town crier competition."It's not just about the cost, it will also take up a lot of staff time," councillor Robert Owen 2024, Mr Mullett was let go from the position of town crier of Hereford because the city council there said it could not justify paying his was reported that he had more than 20 invitations to attend events in other parts of the country and "took great pride" in promoting the city. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
